


Typical Tuesday

by mrs_d



Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: F/F, M/M, POV Outsider, Queer Character, Queer Families, wlw mlm solidarity
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-18
Updated: 2019-06-18
Packaged: 2020-05-14 02:46:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,068
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19264387
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mrs_d/pseuds/mrs_d
Summary: Lisa had worked at the municipal office for eight years. She knew what to expect on a day like today.And then Captain America walked in the door.





	Typical Tuesday

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Thunder_Cakes](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Thunder_Cakes/gifts).



> A page-breaker because my long fics are being difficult again. Thanks to Thunder_Cakes for the prompt!

Lisa had worked at the municipal office for eight years, so she’d come to learn the rhythm of the place. She knew, as she filled her _World’s Okayest Lesbian_ mug with coffee and took her place behind the counter, what to expect on a day like today. It was a Tuesday in early March, which meant there’d be a small rush of people who were having destination weddings on the weekend, and a handful of geeks who wanted to get married on Pi Day, but nothing crazy. Nothing she couldn’t handle.

And then Captain America walked in the door.

She didn’t recognize him at first — probably because he was hunched over in a drab jacket instead of standing tall in a ridiculous outfit — but she instantly pegged him as a celebrity. (The sunglasses, _God.)_ Lisa didn’t get too excited about celebrities; being that she worked in New York City, he wasn’t the first celebrity she gave a marriage licence to, and he wouldn’t be the last. She did, however, wonder who his fiancée was, and why she wasn’t here with him.

She watched him clock her mug. She bristled as his mouth twisted slightly, and he joined her line. She suppressed a sigh, hoping that her decent Tuesday wasn’t about to take a nose-dive into terribleness thanks to a man who was, quite literally, from another century.

It had happened before, and her boss even suggested she use a different mug when she was facing the public, but Lisa would never do that. The looks that young queer people gave her when they saw her cup — the smiles of relief, the way they felt comfortable holding hands at her window — that was why she had the cup, and she wasn’t going to back down now, Captain America or no Captain America.  

There were three couples between her and the currently not star-spangled man, so Lisa didn’t pay him too much attention. The next time she looked up, though, she found that another celebrity had joined him: Falcon. Now, Falcon, he was a celebrity that Lisa cared about. Lisa’s son, Stephen, was a big fan; Lisa and Angela had helped him make cardboard wings for his Halloween costume last year, since the authentic Avengers merch was beyond the salary of a civil servant and a teacher.

While she waited for the couple she was currently helping to correct a mistake on one of their forms, Lisa watched Falcon say something to Captain America in a low voice. Captain America nodded seriously, his mouth a thin, firm line. Lisa wondered what that was about. Was there a threat? Should she be worried?

“And what about this part?” said the woman in front of her. Lisa was jolted out of her thoughts and re-focused on the matter at hand, leaving the superheroes to their own affairs.

A few minutes later, she got the errors sorted out and stamped the forms. She congratulated the couple and sent them on their way. It was T-minus two couples now until Captain America was at her counter. A knot of anxiety was forming in her chest, even as she reminded herself that Falcon was a good guy; he was always polite in interviews, and he had worked as a counsellor before he got famous. He wouldn’t let Grampa Rogers say something rude, would he?

“Next,” she called, and the lovey-dovey, we-can’t-wait-to-get-hitched-in-the-Caribbean, but-wait-what-is-this-paperwork couple who was next in line proceeded to take her mind off what she was going to tell Stephen if his hero turned out to be an asshole bigot.

One more couple to go. Captain America, when she glanced up, seemed more nervous than ever, but Falcon was there to keep him steady. A ring on his left hand glinted as he held onto Captain America’s substantial bicep and leaned in close to deliver a steady monologue in his ear. Most of it was out of the range of Lisa’s hearing, but she did catch a few words: _be alright, you’ll see,_ and _trust me, she understands._

It was a lot of encouragement for someone who wanted to get married. What was he doing here, if this was how he felt? And where the hell was his fiancée? Both parties needed to be here, in person, to apply for the licence; if she didn’t show up in the next few minutes, this would all be for nothing.

Lisa imagined how it would go if she had to tell Captain America he couldn’t get married. Her supervisor would probably have to get involved, and they’d have to decide if they could break the rules for him, and who knew how he would react to that kind of kerfuffle?

Ten bucks said that would go almost as well as a 100-year-old man finding out she was a lesbian, Lisa thought, as she finished up with the last couple before the Avengers were at her counter.

“Hi,” Lisa greeted them as they walked up, the way she’d greet anybody who wasn’t a celebrity.

“Good morning, ma’am,” said Captain America. Falcon nodded.

“What can I do for you?” Lisa asked.

Captain America’s eyes darted to her mug again, but he didn’t speak. Lisa’s smile became a little more fixed.

“We’re here for a marriage licence,” Falcon told her.

“Okay,” said Lisa. She pulled out the paperwork and uncapped her pen. “Name of the bride?” she asked. She figured she may as well get the awkward part over with — if she managed to turn Captain America away before he started on about how she liked to sleep with women, that would be all the better for her.

But Captain America still didn’t say anything. He looked helplessly at Falcon, who rolled his eyes.

“There is no bride,” Falcon told Lisa in an undertone. “Two grooms.”

“Oh,” said Lisa. Then, like an old transmission changing gears, her brain clunked as the pieces fell into place.

Captain America’s nervous demeanor. Looking at her mug. Joining her line. A ring on Falcon’s finger.  

“Oh,” she said again. “Okay, then. No problem.”

Falcon smiled at her — she thought his smile was beautiful on TV, but it was even more radiant up close — and he sent Captain America a pointed look.

“See? I told you it’d be fine.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Captain America muttered. His cheeks had been pink before, but they were downright on fire now. That said, he did seem a bit more relaxed.

“I was just telling him how I’m always right,” Falcon confided to Lisa. “It’s nice to have a witness for once.”

A giddy laugh bubbled up in Lisa’s throat and came out of her mouth before she could stop it. It was very embarrassing, but thankfully neither of the Avengers seemed to notice.

“You just need to fill out these forms,” Lisa said, trying to regain some professional dignity. “Now, there’s a 24-hour waiting period, unless you’d like to apply for a judicial waiver?”

Captain America shook his head. “Waited this long,” he muttered.

“Okay. And since you’re both military personnel, you have 180 days to complete the marriage before it expires,” Lisa continued, more than half on autopilot.

Falcon chuckled. “No problem. Wedding’s on Monday,” he told her.

“Monday?” Lisa repeated. _Who gets married on a Monday in March,_ she wondered, but then the answer came to her: celebrities. Especially celebrities marrying the same gender who weren’t publicly out yet.

“Monday,” Falcon confirmed. “It’s Pi Day, so—”

“Sam’s a huge nerd,” Captain America interjected, without looking up from his paperwork.

“Excuse me,” Falcon protested. “Who binged _Star Trek_ in all its forms over the course of only two weeks last month?”

“Just trying to catch up,” said Captain America. He raised his head and gave Lisa a smile that looked nothing like the ones he gave TV interviewers. It was relaxed and open, warm and kind. Despite herself, Lisa felt a little star-struck.

“Is that everything?” he asked.

Lisa shook herself out of her daze and reviewed the paperwork, along with their photo ID — not that she didn’t know who they were, but rules were rules.

“One last thing,” she said, realizing there was a part missing. “Surname. Whose name have you decided on? Or are you going to hyphenate?”

“Wilson,” Captain America said, at the same time Falcon said, “Rogers.”

“Uh oh,” Lisa said.

“Why would you take my name?” Falcon asked.

“Why would you take mine?” Captain America countered.

“I just thought... I don’t know, you’re famous,” said Falcon, shifting his feet uncomfortably.

Captain America put his hand over Falcon’s, and Falcon stopped fidgeting at once. “So are you.”

“Yeah, but....”

Lisa glanced at the line that was forming behind them, remembering that she still had a job to do. “You guys are really cute,” she said honestly, “but if I may? Rogers-Wilson has a nice ring to it.”

“Not bad,” said Falcon with an air of compromise.

Captain America looked thoughtful. After a moment, he said to his fiancé, “Wilson-Rogers. Final offer.”

“Deal,” said Falcon, and they honest-to-God shook hands on it. What a world.

“Okay, so just the payment, and then you two can be on your way,” Lisa said. “Debit or credit?”

Captain America’s face fell. “You don’t take personal cheques?”

“Uh, no,” said Lisa, caught off-guard. “I’m sorry.”

“Cash?” he offered. “Or I could wire it to you?”

Lisa shook her head, wondering what the hell a wire was. “Sorry, just debit or credit card.”

“What’s a debit card?” Captain America asked seriously.

“Um,” said Lisa, but thankfully, Falcon swooped in to save her.

“Don’t listen to him, he’s the biggest troll you ever met,” he told her, taking out his wallet.

Stunned, Lisa looked back at Captain America, and sure enough, he was grinning at her. “I’m sorry, I had to,” he said, though he didn’t look sorry at all. “As the kids say, be gay, do crime, right?”

“Right,” Lisa replied. Then she laughed, far too loud for the quiet government building she worked in. “Wow. I’m sorry, this has just been a really weird day.”

“Tell me about it,” said Falcon. “And we haven’t even fought any aliens.”

“Yet,” said Captain America under his breath. “Don’t jinx it.”

On the counter, the debit machine beeped and printed a receipt. Lisa tore off her copy, stapled it to the marriage licence application like she always did, and handed the second copy to Falcon. “Okay, you’re all set,” she told him. “Congratulations on your marriage.”

“Thank you,” said Falcon, but he didn’t move away. “This is kind of awkward,” he added quietly, “but can I ask you to keep this to yourself? It’s kind of a... well—”

“A surprise,” Captain America concluded, and, boy, there was a euphemism if Lisa had ever heard one. “If you want a little extra money for your trouble, or... I don’t know, if there’s something we can do for you....”

He shrugged, and Lisa felt the weight of the trust that he was putting in her. For a second, she was tempted. She could take this to the press, make a fortune selling their secret. She could afford to buy Stephen any Avengers merchandise his little heart desired.

But she wouldn’t be able to live with herself for outing someone against their will. Because that was what these men had walked in here to do — to come out in this small way and trust another person with their truth.

In other words, her lesbian mug had struck again.

“Of course,” she told them. “You don’t owe me a dime— though, come to think of it,” she added, “my son would love some Avengers gear for his birthday in June, if you’ve got a bit to spare.”

Captain America grinned at her again. “Consider it done,” he said.

“Hand-delivered,” Falcon confirmed with a nod, giving her a card with their contact information on it.

The giddiness was back; Lisa wanted to lean over the counter and give them both a giant hug. Instead, she settled for a handshake and another congratulations.

She watched them walk away in a haze. They weren’t touching, or holding hands, or anything like that, but she could see the bond between them, so clearly that she was astounded she hadn’t seen it before.

“Next,” she called, after they’d left.

Two ladies stepped up to her counter. “I love your mug,” one of them said.

Lisa grinned. “Thanks. I do, too.”

**Author's Note:**

> Find me on Twitter (mrs_dawnaway) or Discord if you have SamSteve prompts!


End file.
